How to Get Some Healing Sleep Despite Your Loss
It’s hard to recover from the death of a love done, especially since the grief makes you sick, both mentally and physically. Not only are you at increased risk of depression, but you also have a weakened immune system that leaves you vulnerable to infection — and it’s nearly impossible to carry on while bearing the heavy burden of illness along with your emotional troubles.
Something needs to be done. Although it may seem mundane, a few changes to your life could make a huge difference in becoming yourself again and regaining hope in the future, and a good night’s rest is one of them. When you wake up feeling refreshed, you make the best of the day, then you lay your head on the pillow in the evening in a state of calm and even satisfaction. That leads to another good night’s rest, and on it goes.
That’s progress, and it all starts with the following steps.
Kick Some Bad Habits
Getting rid of bad habits could include things such as no coffee, tea or soda in the evening — or even the afternoon — as caffeine can keep you awake for hours after you’ve hit the sheets. The same goes for alcohol, which interferes with a number of metabolic functions and the internal clock that tells you when to go to bed.
Improve Your Diet
Nutritious meals spaced evenly throughout the day keep you energized when you need to be and drowsy when it’s time for sleep.If you want to speed up that process, try an evening snack that’s rich in the sleep-inducing hormone tryptophan like walnuts. Just remember to say “no” to fatty foods like pizza for dinner around bedtime.
Start Exercising
Take it from the scientists: Moving your body does wonders for your sleeping habits as long as you don’t pump iron right before bed, as that raises your body temperature and heart rate when you’re supposed to be cooling down. Instead, engage in some aerobic activity in the morning and afternoon so that you’re mentally and physically tired later on.
Change the Mattress
There’s a huge psychological effect present when you buy a new mattress: It symbolizes moving on with your life. While you’re at it, get a model that suits your preferred sleeping position, whether that’s on your back, stomach, or side. It makes a huge difference.
Redo Your Bedroom
Make your sleep space the ideal environment by blocking out any intruding light or sound with blackout blinds and a white noise machine. You may also learn more about your sleep habits and what’s keeping you awake with an intelligent sleep mask.
Address Air Quality
Those efforts mean little if your home is filled with indoor air pollution, which not only keeps you awake by irritating your breathing passages but harms your well-being through the inhalation of a variety of contaminants. This problem is easily solved through regular vacuuming, cleaning air filters, installing an air purifier and aerating yourinterior. When purchasing a filter, it’s important to pay attention to MERV ratings; the higher the number, the more effective the filter.
Learn to Relax
For many people, relaxing means zoning out in front of the television, but that’s not optimal, as light from the screen keeps you awake for hours even though you’re tired. Yoga, writing, or your favorite hobby are much better options, according to a writer with Inc.
Drink an Infusion
Maybe it’s the warmth of what’s in the mug that sends a signal to your brain that it’s time to hit the hay, or it could be something in the ingredients themselves. Whatever the reason, millions swear by infusions made from chamomile, valerian or lavender to drift off a bit faster.
Make It a Routine
An evening snack rich in tryptophan along with a hot infusion while strumming your guitar or scribbling in your journal. — a relaxing evening ritual can send you off to dreamland every night as long as you stick with it. And a writer with Nuvanna insists on keeping regular hours or your sleep-wake cycle will be thrown off completely.
This should do the trick to send you off to the land of restful slumber. Refreshed the next day, you can begin your recovery with a full heart.
Image via Pexels.
Written By: Sara Bailey, info@thewidow.net, TheWidow.net